Anti-fracking clashes in Romania as activists break into Chevron site (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

A Romanian protester argues with Romanian gendarmes after protesters teared down the fence of the exploring perimeter of US energy giant Chevron in Pungesti, Romania on December 7, 2013.(AFP Photo / Daniel Mihailescu) / AFP

Hundreds of protesters have broken into a Chevron site after the US oil giant resumed its search for shale gas in northeast Romania. RT’s Lucy Kafanov reports from the scene, where clashes ensued as riot police started streaming in.

Some 250 people gathered on Saturday in the village of Pungesti.
RT’s Lucy Kafanov reports that the demonstration kicked off quite
peacefully with the protesters chanting “Chevron go home.”

“The situation then escalated. Some people had run across the
road towards the Chevron property, there was a bit of a
commotion, and we saw the protesters run into the property; the
surrounding perimeter fences were taken down," Kafanov
reports. Local media said people were able to tear down fences to
20 acres of land owned by the company.

The entire perimeter fence has been knocked down. Protesters
outnumber police. Very hectic scene. Some are being arrested

Riot police officers were called into the area, which made the
situation "very heated" as clashes between the demonstrators and
the police ensued.

"We did see some demonstrators injured, as well as police
officers injured. They were taken away in medical vans. We also
saw probably about four or five arrests, possibly more, we’re
still not confirmed on the numbers," Kafanov says.

Following the incident, the US company later announced it was
suspending activities in the area.

“Chevron can today confirm it has suspended activities in
Silistea, Pungesti commune, Vaslui County as a result of unsafe
conditions generated by unlawful and violent protester
activities,” Chevron said in a statement.

The US energy giant has been persistent in conducting its shale
gas exploration activities, and less than a week ago, riot police
brutally removed a horde of villagers who had been camping out at
the site protesting the company’s plan.

The site in Pungesti has been the subject of ongoing controversy.
The village is believed to be sitting upon vast reserves of the
natural resource. Romania may hold 51 trillion cubic feet of
shale gas, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

The demonstrators also demanded the resignation of Prime Minister
Victor Ponta, according to AFP. Ponta became a strong supporter
of the energy source, despite apparent opposition prior to his
election.

But protesters and environmentalists fear that the hydraulic
fracturing, or “fracking,” would be disastrous for the local
environment. They say that pumping water and chemicals at high
pressure into deep rock formations to free oil or gas could
contaminate groundwater.

In October, Chevron decided to suspend its drilling plans. To
prevent Chevron from resuming the drilling, Pungesti villagers
set up a camp in a privately-owned field next to the site where
the well was planned to be installed.

The camp has been the scene of demonstrations for over a month
and a half in total, with thousands rallying across the country
in recent months. Pungesti clashes took place between police
officers and protesters only the previous week. Outraged
participants were as old as 67, according to Kafanov. "There
is this very tense climate, and people have a lot of anger…for
what’s going on here," said Kafanov.

Last month, Chevron filed a civil lawsuit against protesters in
Poland who prevented the company from reaching one of its
designated fracking sites. The company stated that the protesters
had been violating its lawful right of access to one of its four
shale gas exploration areas in the country.

Protests haven't just been confined to Europe - opposition is
spread globally. “The whole industry working on ifs – no
definite figures for what gas is down there, there’s no definite
promises about any safety procedures – the whole industry’s just
shrouded in too many ifs and buts, and that’s really what
motivates the protesters across the world ,” anti-fracking
campaigner, Andy Chyba, told RT.